But he’s not worried about it. If he managed to create a name for himself and start topping charts during the Covid-19 pandemic, he can handle anything, he believes.
Awarding-winning rapper and songwriter Blxckie, whose given name is Sihle Sithole, is excited about his new project which will be out on the same day as Rihanna’s new single.
“Angimsabi,” he says jokingly.
Blxckie says being consistent in his craft is the reason he’s done so well, earning South African Music awards, a BET nomination as well as gold and platinum plaques.
“I’m a firm believer in consistency. Getting into the game or getting your name out there is purely luck but the work before and after that has to be constant and that’s why I’m creating new sounds and trying to figure out the next move,” he tells Drum.
That’s why when he gets up every morning, he says. “The first thing that I do is check my music stats on all platforms. I check my social media.”
And as the day progresses he goes into his favourite place – the studio – “and I make a song”.
“All that [happens] probably before I freshen up for the day.”
He likes being hands on, he says, and describes a typical day in his life. “After freshening up, it’s usually studio all day or I’m out doing interviews, videos or a photo shoot.
“And maybe after one long studio session, I sleep at around 3/4 am. I try to stay as busy as possible.”
This year has given him some great milestones. He tells us how he marks each.
“I don’t [usually] get into celebratory mood when I achieve something, it’s more of a push for me. I’m pretty sure that every time I found out about an award or anything, I was in studio.”
That’s why about three months ago, he thought of putting together a project he named THE4MULA. He says it outlines the moves he made and the type of music that started his journey.
“What I like the most about THE4MULA is the energy, it’s the most high-energy project I’ve dropped so far, from start to finish. It’s all up there.
“It only has three features if we exclude Kwenzekile, which is a bonus track that’s been out for a while. Mench, K1 llbrady and Scumie are artists that aren’t really on the mainstream side of music in SA but do have a strong fan-base in their own regard,” he says.
“I believe in their talent, they are supper special and that’s the main reason I have them… I can’t be selfish with my platform, especially if I believe in other talent, I’ve learnt that and I’m practising it.”
Blxckie says that the EP includes his hit, “piano-esque” Kwenzekile, which is already dominating the music scene as a bonus track.
“It dropped as a spontaneous single a few months ago and I just wanted to give it a home,” he tells Drum.
“I feel like my versatility has become a challenge for myself and listeners, not a bad one really but just something to think about and tackle on my musical journey.
“Also, combined with the fast rate at which I came from being nobody to now is a weight I carry and work with every time I get into creative space.
“This project is just another way to reel everything back to the basics and refresh the listener’s mind as to what got me here.”
